Another Kind of Battle
by liketolaugh
Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.'
1. Fresh Start

**A/N: So I STILL shouldn't be making new stories, I'm being stupid with my stories again, but I just spent literally all of Saturday playing the new Pokemon game and it is AWESOME. This is the only game I've loved enough to play straight through - it's been two days and I'm already through all eight gym leaders, heading on to the Elite Four. (Or I would have been if I hadn't gotten distracted, dammit, Anna.) Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Sinnoh Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

One of Ed's earliest memories was an impression of darkness, his small body held close to Jigglypuff's warm fur as she sang to him. Little Minun, barely more than a baby then, crouched on Jigglypuff's shoulder and stared at him with wide eyes.

Large, cold hands lifted him from Jigglypuff's hold and he cried, upset that he'd been separated from Jigglypuff, making Minun's eyes well up as she started to wail, too. Daddy hastily gave him to Mommy, just warm skin and a soft smile, who laughed and held him close until he fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"Brother?"<p>

Al's soft, sleepy voice broke into Ed's dreams, and he yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Al?" he asked sleepily, peering at Al.

"I need to potty," Al whispered, squirming.

Ed blinked at him owlishly for a moment – Al was adorable, he really was, but it was _early –_ before he yawned, nodded, and rolled out of bed, accidentally jostling Minun awake.

Minun sat up and looked at them quizzically, blinking tiredly. She'd grown up a lot faster than them, and though she was still young, she'd taken responsibility for them, especially Ed, like Plusle had for Al. Ed shrugged at her, but Al insisted, "Potty!" and Minun, too, yawned and got out of bed, ushering the two toddlers out of the room, leaving only Plusle, curled up in Al's bed.

They had just left the bathroom when Minun suddenly moved to block their sight. Al just blinked at her and rubbed his eye tiredly, but Ed frowned and craned his neck to look past. He tilted his head.

Mom and Dad were talking, and a suitcase rested in Dad's hand, like when he went for a business trip. But he never went for a business trip at night, he always smiled awkwardly at them and announced it over breakfast, and then left right after. Mom looked sad, but resigned, and Dad turned, facing the door. Ed's hand tightened on Al's. Where was Dad going? Why wasn't he saying goodbye? Dad always said goodbye.

"Min!" Minun said sharply, sparking slightly with anger. Dad paused, and Mom gasped softly, eyes wide and guilty and darting toward them.

"Ed? Al? What are you doing up?" Her voice was soft and gentle, not quite enough to hide the startled tint to it.

"Al had to go potty," Ed whispered, eyes on Dad.

"Min_-un!" _Minun insisted, taking a step forward and sparking dangerously at Dad. She'd never liked him; Ed had never understood why. It was Ed's fault he didn't like picking him up, after all, not Dad's.

It didn't stop Dad from stepping out, nor did it stop the door from swinging shut behind him. And he didn't say goodbye, and there were tears in Mom's eyes, and Ed's heart stopped.

Minun had never liked Dad, and now Ed knew why.

* * *

><p>Trisha collapsed on a sunny day, a day Ed, Al, Plusle, and Minun had spent running around, playing and gathering fruit in the hopes of pie.<p>

Jigglypuff was standing over Trisha when they arrived back, chirruping in distress, blue eyes wide and teary with panicked worry.

They had never seen her so upset.

* * *

><p>Despite having gotten sick weeks after, Jigglypuff died a few days before Trisha did.<p>

As weak as she was, Trisha let them cry on her and cried with them until they thought they had no tears left to cry.

They were wrong.

* * *

><p>The Elrics' house was subdued after Trisha died. Ed and Al spent long hours shut up in the study, with Plusle and Minun curled up with them, eyes sad.<p>

That was where they were now, Ed yawning and trying to focus on the book through the haze of exhaustion. Al had long since surrendered, asleep atop his book, with Plusle strategically blocking the light so it didn't wake him.

"Mi-nu," Minun yawned, leaning her head against Ed.

"Not now, Minun," Ed yawned, frowning at his book. "Just… a little… farther…" His eyes slid shut and his head fell forward.

"Minu," Minun whispered. She yawned and stumbled up, rubbing one eye, and turned the light out, leaving the study night-dark. Then she stumbled back to Ed and curled up against him, falling fast asleep in seconds.

The anatomy book would have to wait until the next day.

* * *

><p>Plusle and Minun didn't want to leave.<p>

Ed guessed he understood; the two of them had always been house pokemon, unsuited to travel. Unlike most pokemon, they'd never had dreams of being stronger, faster, better. So going with a woman like Izumi, who'd already promised to teach them more than just alchemy, wasn't exactly for them.

Ed understood. It didn't mean he wasn't sad.

Plusle and Minun waved them off right alongside Winry and Pinako, and Ed and Al waved right back.

Izumi Curtis was a scary woman, and the first pokeballs Ed and Al ever saw were at her waist. In them, she held a Granbull, grumpy as all hell, and a Luxray, playful and tricky. Ed had already been shocked from behind three times, and the Luxray was usually in her pokeball.

Ed sat back in his seat with a wistful smile.

"We'll see them again, won't we, brother?" Al asked, eyes sad.

"Yeah, Al," Ed reassured him. "As soon as we're done training, we'll see them."

And they'd see their mom, too.

* * *

><p>The island was a damned scary place. If Ed didn't want to learn so bad, he might have tried to leave. Then again, he would have failed – there were no places to swim near Resembool, and he didn't know how.<p>

It was their third night there and they were just as horribly, hopelessly lost as they had been on the first. They had no food, they barely had a fire, and the Masked Man kept attacking them.

And Al had a pokemon. A _helpless _pokemon.

"He's cold," was Al's soft defense, and the helpless, sad look on Al's face was enough to stop Ed's protests, even though he had no idea how they were supposed to take care of a helpless little Togepi when they couldn't even take care of themselves.

The Masked Man attacked that night too, of course. Their newest member did nothing to discourage him, which depressed Ed; oftentimes, even those who would attack children would leave those with young Pokemon alone.

"Al!" Ed screamed, gold eyes wide and desperate. "Take the Togepi and run!"

Al looked at him with wide eyes, Togepi clutched close to his chest. "But Ed-"

_"Now, _Al!"

Al bit his lip and turned and ran, and Ed gritted his teeth and turned on the Masked Man, deathly pale and scared out of his mind.

"Come on, then," Ed challenged, willing his voice not to tremble.

The Masked Man turned his head in the direction Al had gone. Ed gave up on sanity and charged.

The man practically swatted him out of the air, of course; Ed landed on the ground hard and gasped out, pain bright in apple juice eyes.

A growl ripped through the clearing and a blue blur popped out of nowhere, tackling the Masked Man. When it stilled, growling at the man, Ed found it to be a Riolu, and his eyes widened.

Then the Masked Man threw the Riolu off and Ed gasped, rolling out of the way and struggling to his feet. He looked at the Riolu, the Riolu looked at him, and they both nodded.

Then they looked at the Masked Man and attacked.

* * *

><p>Together, he and Riolu chased off the Masked Man, but not without a price; Riolu got badly hurt in the fight, his leg fractured, maybe broken, and Ed knew from previous searches that there weren't any Sitrus or Oran berries on the island, so they were on their own.<p>

Ed called out weakly to Al, knowing that he wouldn't have gone far, and picked up Riolu as gently as he could, moving him over by the empty fire pit. When Al appeared, Togepi still safe in his arms (if shaking like a leaf), his eyes widened.

"Brother?"

Ed was biting his lip, worry in his eyes. "Wait here and look after Riolu," he said softly. "I'm gonna see about finding something to bind his leg." Ed knew that pokemon healed many times faster than humans, but it still couldn't hurt.

Riolu crooned at him as he left, and when he returned, he could feel Riolu's eyes on him the whole time he was clumsily binding the pokemon's leg.

They already had three mouths to try, and fail, to feed. What was one more?

* * *

><p>Eevee showed up two days after Ed first figured out that to live, they needed to take life, and her timing couldn't have been better.<p>

Their traps were good; Ed knew that. The rabbits they'd managed to catch proved that. But Riolu didn't eat meat, and, unable to get up with his hurt leg, and with Ed and Al completely clueless as to which berries were edible, he was whining with hunger every night, as quietly as he could manage. And Ed felt _awful_.

So when Al turned up with two cupped hands full of berries and a proud-looking Eevee by his side, and Riolu's eyes lit right up, Ed smiled and waved and welcomed the Eevee in.

* * *

><p>Izumi came to get them at the end of the month, and she looked surprised to see so many Pokemon with them, despite how many were on the island; Ed admitted to himself that yeah, that probably wasn't the point at all.<p>

Still, she smiled, and Granbull huffed and puffed and tried not to do the same, and Riolu, leg now healed right up, hopped in defiantly after Ed, crossing his arms and huffing. Al climbed in and gave Izumi a hopeful look with an armful of puppy-dog-eyed Togepi, and Eevee strolled in and gave her an expectant look.

Izumi huffed out a laugh. "Yes, you can keep them," she said fondly, turning away. "You did solve the riddle, after all. I think you've earned them."

She took them into town that night and bought them their first set of pokeballs, six each. Riolu beamed at Ed as Ed held one out to him, grinning, and let out a happy cry as Ed tapped him with the pokeball, catching him.

Beside them, Togepi squealed happily as Alphonse gently pressed the ball to his head, and Eevee put her front legs up on Al impatiently, crooning. Al laughed and tossed a second, and Eevee squeed as she was caught as well.

Behind them, Sig chuckled and Izumi smiled fondly.

* * *

><p><strong>So that's the first chapter of Another Kind of Battle. I'm telling you now that this isn't a priority story, which is why I intended to post it much later. Still, I hope you enjoy it, and please review!<strong>


	2. Prepare for Trouble

**A/N: I meant to post this a lot later, and I'll say more stuff at the end of this... please read!**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Sinnoh Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

* * *

><p>Training was hard. Harder than Edward could have imagined.<p>

But it was easier, too, because Al and Riolu were with him every step of the way. Hurting and sweating and panting and learning, just about every minute Ed was.

Ed had been amazed – and a little alarmed – to discover that Izumi knew more about hand-to-hand combat than even Riolu did, and Riolu was a fighting-type pokemon.

As she'd promised, Izumi taught them more than just alchemy. No, she taught them more than even they thought that it was possible to know. Under her, they learned about life, about people, about pokemon, how to do strange things like dodge knives and jump on moving trains.

And, perhaps most importantly, she taught them how to battle, a real Amestrian battle.

Ed knew that in other regions, battling was different. Trainers sent out their pokemon to face off against each other, seeing who knew their pokemon best, who had the best mind for strategy. In Amestris, though, it didn't work that way.

Amestrian battles were a practice that had evolved from the region's bloody, war-torn history. In war, anything went – that included humans fighting side-by-side with their pokemon.

Soldiers came home and found themselves unable to abandon the practice, and they passed it to their children, who taught the style to their friends, and now, just about every Amestrian battle featured both the pokemon and the trainer.

In formal battles, of course, there were strict rules, guidelines on arms and armor. Of course, that didn't stop those things from appearing in street battles, but it limited the damage to the pokemon, at least. Ed was surprised; Amestrian government wasn't usually that kind, but then, everyone went a little strange when it came to pokemon.

"Focus!" Izumi snapped, sending Ed a fiery glare and a knife, and he ducked, gold eyes wide, and nodded frantically as he looked back up.

"Yes, Teacher!"

* * *

><p>Al's two pokeballs tinked together as he knelt to the ground, eyes on the bone-white array in front of him. He glanced at Ed, one pokeball standing out brightly at his belt, and Ed grinned at him.<p>

"Ready, Al?"

"Ready," Al replied confidently.

* * *

><p>Ed's agonized scream ripped through the house, and Riolu struggled harder in his pokeball. <em>Dammit, <em>why couldn't he break out? His trainer needed him! His trainer needed him _now!_

Ed and Al had been planning this for months, Riolu knew, maybe longer. And Ed and his brother were smart, really smart – genii. What could have gone wrong?

Ed was gasping for air now, and Riolu banged against his pokeball in panic, making it wobble but nothing more. He needed out! He needed out _now!_

"Dammit!" Ed gasped. "This can't be happening!"

No. No, it couldn't. Riolu felt like crying. Why couldn't he help his trainer? Was he that useless a pokemon?

"It can't be!" Ed gasped out, sounding short of breath and in more pain than he ever had before, in all their time training with Izumi. Riolu pounded on the pokeball. "This wasn't supposed to- He's gone, what've I done?"

He was gone? Who was gone? Riolu couldn't see what was going on, what was happening? Was Al gone? Ed would die if Al was gone, Riolu needed to go help Ed and look for Al, _he needed out-_

"Somebody help me," Ed whimpered, terrified, hurting. "Please, Mom. Mom, please."

Riolu _screeched, _thrashing around in his pokeball with all his fighting-type might, and it wobbled so hard it went rolling, but it didn't break, didn't even crack. Ed! _Ed!_

A few seconds passed in silence as Riolu panted, despair swirling in his mind. He was useless, he was a useless pokemon, Ed may as well throw him away, might well, after this, smash his pokeball in sheer disgust-

Then something must have happened, because Ed screamed. "No! No, this isn't what we wanted!" He sounded like he was at his breaking point, no, Riolu should be _beside him, _he was _useless… _"Riolu, please!" Ed half-sobbed. "Al! Alphonse! _Alphonse!"_

Riolu smashed himself against the wall of his pokeball, again and again, and screamed.

* * *

><p>Riolu didn't escape his pokeball until hours later, and even then, it was because someone let him out. He peeked out from behind his paws and yelped, leaping away, as a giant suit of armor leaned over him.<p>

_"Who are you?" _Riolu growled, half-panicked. _"Where's Ed? Where's my trainer?"_

The armor held its hands up in surrender.

"It's okay," he said in Alphonse's soft, familiar tones, wobbling like he was trying not to cry. "It's okay, Riolu, it's only me. I wanted to let you know that Ed was okay and you can see him now. I'm sorry it took so long to let you out. That must have been awful for you."

Riolu stared up at him with wide eyes – yes, that was the familiar aura, the very same one that Ed hugged and laughed with and loved. Then the words processed.

_Ed!_

Without a second look, Riolu turned and ran toward the open door right nearby, where he could sense Ed's aura, weak but present. They were in a house he'd never seen before, but that was okay – they weren't with Izumi, he recalled, they were in another town, a smaller one. Ed had said that that was where they were going, but they hadn't had a chance to see it before-

Ed!

Riolu ran up to the occupied bed, red eyes wide and panicked. Ed's breathing was shallow and labored, his shape strange under the covers, and Riolu, now that he was closer, could sense pain like he knew Ed had never felt before.

He crooned at his trainer, worried. _"Ed? Ed, wake up."_

A Minun, curled up next to him, silent and sad, lifted its head to look at him.

_"Who are you?" _she asked in a whisper, trying not to disturb his trainer.

_"Ed's Riolu," _he said shortly, leaning closer and standing on his tiptoes to get a better look at his trainer. _"Is he okay? He doesn't feel okay!" _Panic crept into his voice.

Tears welled up in Minun's eyes. _"He's hurt real bad," _she whispered. _"I never should have let him go alone." _She burrowed her head into Ed's side, ears drooping.

At that moment, a human girl entered, with blonde hair and sad blue eyes that landed on Riolu, a subdued Chansey by her side and a Happiny wobbling along beside her, trying not to cry.

"Oh," she said softly in her strange human tongue. "Are you Ed's pokemon?"

Riolu nodded quickly, looking at her.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "It must have been awful for you."

Riolu growled at her. He deserved it for not being there for Ed! _"What happened?"_

She shook her head quickly. "I'm sorry, you probably want to know about Ed, don't you?" He nodded quickly, eyes wide. "He'll live, but, well…" She crossed the room and reached forward. Riolu growled at her, but she didn't stop, pulling back the covers over Ed's right side, and suddenly Riolu was too distracted to growl, because Ed had no right arm.

Riolu reached one paw toward the bandaged area covering his arm – because his arm had to be under there, it had to be – and the girl stopped him.

_"E-Ed?" _Riolu stuttered, frightened. _"Ed, wake up. Please, Ed, you're scaring me. Ed!"_

Minun whimpered, flattening her ears as if to block out the sound, and the girl started to cry.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, I'm sure this is earlier than you all expected. But I just finished Omega Ruby - or I thought I did... I beat the Elite Four, anyway, and I was feeling really happy and pleased with myself and decided to post this, but now aghfsklj <em>what is happening. <em>Something about a meteor... I don't remember this, is all. Anyway, please review!**

**UPDATE WITH SPOILERS: I still don't understand, why am I picking a Johto starter?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!**

**MORE UPDATE: THIS SEEMS FAMILIAR. (Also I promise to stop now.)**


	3. Training Time

**A/N: Hi! So here's a new chapter. It's actually been done for a while, but I also want to inform you now that this is pretty much the last of it. I intend to write the rest of the next chapter tonight, but it'd be a while before it was up regardless. I might have another up-and-coming story, however, because I'm impulsive and publish things I write whenever I really feel like it. Enjoy!**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Sinnoh Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

* * *

><p>When the military man came, Riolu couldn't have been more relieved. Ed had woken the next day, but he hadn't <em>woken. <em>He'd barely looked at Al, barely spoken to Riolu, not even acknowledged Togepi when he cuddled him or Eevee when she crooned concerned words.

Riolu hadn't gone back into his pokeball since Al had let him out, had even hidden it when Winry, the girl who'd been the one to tell him that Ed had lost his arm, his leg, that he couldn't fight or train or walk anymore, had tried to make him.

Now Ed's eyes were burning again, aura strong, and ready to go into surgery.

And he was _not going in there without Riolu._

Riolu growled at Winry again, belligerent, and Ed finally smiled softly.

"It's okay, Winry," Ed told her. She stopped. "Riolu won't get in the way, will you, Riolu?"

Riolu shook his head vigorously. No, he wouldn't do anything to jeapordize his trainer. Not anything.

Winry looked ready to argue, but she laid eyes on Ed, helpless in his wheelchair, and sighed.

"Okay," she muttered. "But the moment he gets in the way, he's _out."_

Riolu nodded once, resolute. And no matter how much he wanted to, he didn't move from his corner once through the entire surgery.

* * *

><p>Rehabilitation was long and hard. Al and Riolu were with Ed every step of the way, but that didn't make it much easier – Al was still learning to control his strength, and Riolu was strong enough to help Ed stand back up, but not tall enough to help him stay there.<p>

Still, they managed, somehow, and Riolu had never been more proud of his trainer.

And Ed never once tried to make him go back in his ball.

* * *

><p>"Are you ready for this, Riolu?" Ed asked quietly, steady on his metal leg and metal arm not shaking in the slightest, kneeling in front of Riolu.<p>

They were about to leave Resembool, the place they'd stayed for a year, the place his trainer had been born, to go on a journey of their own. Not a pokemon journey, no – but one maybe even longer, harder, and more life-changing than that.

The first step of that was to get four gym badges, the first requirement before taking the State Alchemy exam.

Just like their battles, Amestris' gym system was different from that of other regions. There were two gyms in each of the main cities: North, East, South, and West. One of these was a civilian gym, and the other, a military one, run by a civilian and a State Alchemist, respectively. You didn't have to be in the military to challenge the military gym, but you needed all of the civilian badges before taking the alchemy exam.

Riolu huffed out a 'huh' and nodded, determined.

"Mi, minu!"

Ed looked up, confused, as Minun came running out, nearly in tears, hopping up and down at Ed's feet, one hand clinging to his black leather pant leg. "Huh?"

"Minu!" she wailed. She reached for his pouch, scrabbling at it frantically. "Mi mi, nu inu!"

Ed, confused, reached into his pouch and pulled out the only thing currently in it, his five remaining pokeballs. Minun snatched one of these up and held it up to him, fierce determination matching Riolu's in her eyes. Ed was still confused.

A now-familiar clanking approached.

"She wants to come, brother," Al said quietly, Plusle on his shoulder, Togepi cuddling up to his upper arm as he cradled him. "They both do."

Ed stared at Minun in surprise. "Really?" he asked. "But… you're a house pokemon. You never wanted to battle."

"Minu!" Minun said fiercely, hopping up and down insistently. "Min minun!"

"You don't care," Ed realized quietly. He bit his lip. "You're really sure? There's no going back."

"Mi_-nu!" _Minun insisted, now more of a whine. She brandished the pokeball.

Ed smiled softly and took the pokeball from her. She stood, tall and determined, and he reached out and tapped her on the head with the pokeball. She disappeared in a streak of red and the pokeball wobbled once, twice, and then binged quietly. He smiled and tucked the ball into his belt, straightening up.

"Alright," he said quietly. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>"Brother?" Al asked curiously, armor clanking as he walked one step behind Ed. "Why are we taking the walking route? I would have thought that, with your impatience, we would've been taking the trains."<p>

Ed let out a sigh, pushing his bangs out of his eyes with his automail hand as Riolu, too, looked up at him expectantly. "Yeah, I would've preferred that. But remember, Al, I don't just have to beat the four gym leaders." He looked up, gold eyes irritated and face set in a frown. "I don't even have the three pokemon required for my certification, and Minun's not battle-trained yet. I'll use the time it takes getting from city to city to train and catch some more pokemon."

Al let out a soft 'oh', nodding. "I see."

Ed let out a little grin. "Besides, the walking route is traditional, isn't it?" He looked back to the front. "No one ever finishes their first pokemon journey the same as when they started. Walking from place to place, we can probably learn a few things. Maybe even get a few leads ahead of time."

Al brightened. "Yeah! I'd really like to meet some new people, brother."

For a few minutes, both of them were silent. Riolu strode tall, proud, and stoic beside Ed, and Minun hopped nervously a few steps ahead, ears sparking. Ed watched her out of the corner of his eye, but kept facing front.

_"Swellow!"_

Minun let out a startled, fearful squeak and sparked hard. _"Min!"_

Ed laughed and the Swellow swooped over their heads. He leaned down and rubbed one of Minun's ears, barely wincing at the slight shock.

"Don't worry, Minun," he reassured the little blue bunny. "No one'll get past me and Riolu."

Minun sparked again discontentedly. Ed grinned reassuringly and straightened back up.

Ed kept an eye out and smirked when he found a large clearing. He glanced at Riolu, who grinned at him and gave an excited huff.

Ed dropped his pack and took three strides into the clearing. Riolu darted past him and planted himself a way ahead of Ed, facing him with excitement gleaming in his eyes.

Al chuckled quietly and sat down against a tree, waiting patiently. After a moment, he patted the ground beside him and said to Minun, "Come here, Minun. Brother wants you to watch."

"Mi mi?" Minun said uncertainly. Al waited, and finally, Minun darted over and plopped beside Al, fidgeting worriedly.

Ed grinned at Riolu, and then leapt forward, straight at the blue fighting type.

Riolu hissed and dodged aside, but Ed was expecting that; he caught himself on his hands and whirled, aiming a kick at Riolu. Riolu caught his leg and threw him.

Ed yelped and took the fall on his metal leg, rolling to neutralize the rest of the impact. Riolu darted forward and struck at Ed before he could do more than get to his knees. Ed blocked with a metal forearm and struck with the other, catching Riolu squarely in the chest and making him stumble back.

They continued like that for some time, evenly matched. It was clear from the start that Riolu was faster and stronger, but Ed could match him with wit and foresight. This was about typical for a pokemon-human battle; while pokemon were far from stupid, they were more involved in the here and now than thinking two steps ahead.

It helped that a human could, with effort, train themselves to come very close to matching their pokemon in speed and strength.

Finally, both battlers drew to a halt, panting lightly. Ed, dirty and bruised, straightened up and turned, striding over to Minun.

Minun looked interested, despite herself. Ed grinned, shoving mismatched hands into leather pockets.

"That's what you'll be doing," he informed her, voice serious despite his grin. "Sparring with each other'll make us both better." He scuffed his plain combat boots across the ground. "I'll have to get a set of boots with rubbed soles at some point, but I'll deal 'til then." His expression changed to match his tone. "You sure you want to do this?"

Minun, who's ears had been twitching and sparking with interest, leapt to her feet. "Mininu, minunun!" she said furiously.

Ed grinned again. "Great." Backing away a little, he continued, "Move training'll be a little different, but I'll still keep an eye on things. For now…" He grinned. "Come on!"

Minun didn't hesitate this time. She darted toward Ed – fast, because of her size, but not as fast as Riolu. Not nearly.

Ed stepped aside, and Minun, not expecting that, charged right past and overbalanced, tumbling forward.

Ed ignored the opening and waited patiently. Minun pushed up and turned to face him, eyes burning with frustration. She moved differently this time, pattern jagged and jumpy.

Ed let her clip him this time and frowned when he hardly felt it. He stopped, straightening out of his battle stance, and Minun turned and glared at him, brimming with frustration.

"Mi, minu!" Minun snapped, angry at herself.

Al, voice soft, nonetheless said what both of them were thinking. "Brother, this isn't working."

Ed made a frustrated noise and nodded. Minun deflated, clearly upset. Ed smiled at her halfheartedly.

"No, it's alright, Minun. It's not your fault, it just means I'm not very good at this yet." He paused contemplatively, thinking for a moment. Finally, he nodded decisively, stepped back, and spread his arms. "Minun, use Tackle on me."

Minun gave him a startled look. Al looked at her and gave her a warm look.

"It's alright, Minun. Teacher trains her pokemon this way, too. And she trained us this way."

Minun nodded, focused on Ed, and charged. He let it hit him this time, swaying back slightly with the hit.

Of course, having always been a house pokemon, Minun had never fought before, not even in the wild.

"Again," Ed ordered, gold eyes confident.

Minun gritted her teeth and charged, hitting Ed again. Again, Ed hardly swayed back. Minun deflated. Ed smiled gently and knelt down in front of the little blue pokemon.

"You're small," Ed told her, ignoring Al's badly stifled laugh, "so no one expects you to be strong. But I know you, Minun, and I _know _you can be strong. You can do this." He stood back up. "Minun, Tackle."

Minun used Tackle.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, so I hope you liked that. Anything you have to say is much appreciated - if you've got an idea or a request, go for it. I promise I won't laugh. (Unless it's a pairing, then I might. *grin*) By the way, assuming I get that far, Ash - from immediately post-Johto - will be showing up eventually. He'll be about Thirteen and he'll have his Johto team because starting in Amestris with a new team is a bad idea. Please review!<strong>


	4. Just a Little Trouble

**A/N: Heh... SO I got a really nice review and finally remembered to post this. I've got the next few chapters done already, but I plan to space them out a bit.**

**Thank you to linkthetoaoftime, The fallen flames, BetterWithThree101, tylerxc626, and guest for reviewing!**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Hoenn Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

* * *

><p>Ed didn't know how long they'd been at it when he spotted something in the forest. Glancing at Al, he saw that he'd seen it already, and was drawing steadily closer, as subtly as possible. Riolu was ignoring it altogether, red eyes intent on Ed and Minun, legs folded neatly and paws in his lap.<p>

Ed half-listened as Al deemed himself close enough and said softly, "Hello."

To Ed's surprise, he heard a very human squeak; a young girl, if he had to gu- He stumbled back a step and grunted as Minun Tackled him again.

"It's alright," Al said hastily. "I won't hurt you. I just wondered what you were doing all alone."

The girl hesitated for a long moment. "…I got lost," she admitted finally, sounding young and scared. "I'm sorry. Mom told me not to go off, but I saw a really neat pokemon and followed it. It went away and I turned around and…" She whimpered, sounding close to tears.

"And you didn't know where you were," Al finished, tone understanding. "Don't worry, it happens to everyone. Do you like pokemon?"

"Uh-huh!" the girl confirmed, cheered. "They're the best! I was watching that boy with the Minun. Is he a trainer?"

"Yeah," Al confirmed. "Riolu is his, too. He's my brother."

"Ooh!" the girl squealed, excited. "Do you have pokemon, too? Can I see them?"

"Sure," Al told her. Ed glanced up to see two flashes of red. "This is Togepi, and this is Plusle. They're both really friendly."

The girl squealed again; from the happy "Togeprrrri!", Ed qould guess that Togei had tackled her to cuddle, as he was wont to do.

"Plu, plus elplue?" Plusle questioned.

"My name is Annie!" the girl said happily, thoughts of being lost forgotten. "I'm five!"

"Plusle!" Plusle sounded pleased. Minun's ears pricked up and Ed smiled at her, then stepped back. Minun took her cue and straightened up, head turned to look curiously at where Al and Annie were.

Ed looked at Riolu, but the black-and-blue pokemon was already heading for him, steps light and confident.

As soon as Riolu reached him, Ed reached out and scratched his head affectionately, making him huff in pleasure, eyes drifting half-shut. Ed chuckled at him and lifted his hand, moving forward to the edge of the clearing. Riolu huffed, shook his head, and followed.

Sure enough, a girl with brown hair was being cuddled half to death by a very happy Togepi, laughing. Togepi was crooning and nuzzling up to her head, while Plusle knelt next to them, watching.

As they entered, Plusle looked up, smiled, waved, and tilted her head at Minun. "Plu?"

"Min!" Minun replied, looking tired, but very pleased with herself.

"She did great," confirmed Ed, giving Minun a grin. Riolu huffed and nodded in agreement. Minun glowed.

Annie sat up, Togepi squealing as he tumbled off his perch into her arms. "Hi!" she said cheerfully. "I'm Annie!" She held out her hand.

Ed smiled and shook it. "I'm Ed," he returned. "And this is Minun and Riolu." Both of them waved. Annie waved back. "Hey, so I overheard that you were lost. Al and I aren't in a hurry-" At least, not yet. "-so what do you say about us taking you home?"

Annie's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked, relieved.

"Sure," Al answered, comforting. "Like brother said, we're not in a hurry right now. We can take you home."

Annie beamed, carefully put Togepi down, and hugged Al, then Ed. "Thank you!"

Ed smiled at her awkwardly, then looked at Al questioningly.

"We can probably see it from here," Al agreed, understanding perfectly. "Why don't you and Riolu look?"

Ed nodded and Riolu hopped onto a tree, climbing it nimbly. Ed climbed another with a little more caution, reaching the top a few minutes after.

Ed squinted his eyes, gaze sweeping the forest canopy, but saw nothing. After a few minutes, though, Riolu huffed out an 'uh' and pointed.

Ed turned and looked, and could just spot the top of a house, a surprising distance away. If their perches were just a little lower, he wouldn't have seen it at all.

Ed grinned at Riolu, who beamed back, and started to climb down.

Al and Annie were waiting for them at the bottom, expectant. Ed nodded in the direction of the house. "Riolu saw a house that way. It's pretty far, but it shouldn't take long."

Al brightened. "That's great!" Annie beamed.

"Let's go!" Annie exclaimed, bouncing in excitement.

Annie ran a few steps ahead and Ed and Al followed behind. Pokemon scattered from the noise, and Plusle sat neatly on one of Al's shoulders, while Minun took the other, and a reclaimed Togepi occupied the crook of Al's arm.

A few times, Riolu or Ed climbed up to check their course, and eventually, they reached a large clearing, with a neat house and what looked like a small pokemon ranch.

As they approached, a few pokemon bounded out. A Growlithe tackled Annie to lick her face, and a baby Squirtle leaned over to grin at her.

"Squirtle!" it said triumphantly. It looked at the Growlithe, smirking. "Squirtle, squirtle squirtle squirtle."

"Grow," Growlithe snorted at him, backing off of Annie. She sat up, beaming.

"Growlithe!" she said happily. "Squirtle!"

They grinned at her.

"Mom's a pokemon breeder," Annie explained to Ed and Al, then turned toward the house, cupped her hands around her mouth, and called out, "Mom! I'm home!"

Nothing happened. She deflated, eyes shining with anxiety.

"Maybe she's out looking for you," Al suggested, looking back toward the forest.

"Most likely," Ed agreed, seeing Annie brighten. He looked at Riolu. "Riolu, could you go find her and bring her here?"

Riolu nodded and turned, running off and disappearing into the forest.

Ed and Al left Plusle, Minun, and Togepi to entertain Annie while they talked quietly a little to the side, checking the edge of the forest periodically. Finally, just when Al was beginning to worry, a voice called out from the forest,

"Annie!"

Annie brightened and hopped up, Plusle hastily flipping out of her grip before she could drop her. "Mom!"

A tall woman with brown hair like Annie's was emerging from the forest, pulled along by an insistant Riolu. Upon finding Annie, her eyes flooded with relief.

"Annie!" Annie ran up to her just as Riolu released the worried mother's hand and the little girl jumped into her arms, beaming. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright. I was so worried about you, what on earth were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry, Mom," Annie murmured, trying to press herself further into her mother. "But I saw a pokemon."

The mother sighed. "Of course you did." Loosening her grip slightly, allowing Annie to slide down to the ground, she looked up and found Ed and Al. "Hello. One of you must be this Riolu's trainer." She held out her hand with a wan smile. "I'm Vivianne. I can't thank you enough for finding my daughter."

Ed grabbed it and shook it, expression slightly embarrassed, Riolu darting over to stand by his trainer. "It was nothing, ma'am, really."

"No, no," Vivianne insisted, stepping back a little. "Why don't you come in? And what are your names?"

Ed shifted slightly. "If you're sure…" He smiled a little. "I'm Ed, and this is my little brother Al." He nodded to the pokemon swarming Annie's feet insistently, almost being tripped over. "Minun's mine as well, but Plusle and Togepi are Al's."

"I see," Vivianne smiled, holding her daughter's hand tight as she opened the door into her home and stepped aside to let them in. "And are you both trainers?"

"Just brother," Al told her, embarrassed as well. Armor was an unspeakable advantage in a pokemon battle. "I'd like to be a breeder someday."

Vivianne laughed. "Well, I suppose that armor would work well as a deterrent."

Al forced an awkward laugh of his own. "Eheh, yeah…"

Ed changed the subject hastily, giving Al a guilty look. "We actually just started travelling. I'm trying to get the first four gym badges."

Vivanne looked surprised. "Really?" She gestured for them to sit down at the small wood table, and Annie went off to play with the friendly pokemon. Riolu sat down, legs crossed, beside Ed's chair. "That's interesting. Amestris really isn't friendly to beginning trainers." She looked concerned. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

Ed shrugged and grinned, nodding. "Sure. Don't worry about me, me and Al've been training with Teacher for a couple years now. She's taught us just about everything we know." Al nodded frantically in agreement.

Vivianne relaxed slightly, though the worried expression didn't fade. "Well, if you're certain. What made you want to be a trainer, Ed?"

Ed half-smiled and half-grimaced. "Ah, well, I've always liked pokemon." He chuckled. "Who doesn't? And I'm pretty competetive, Al can testify that." He grinned at Al, who laughed and nodded in affirmation. "But, well, there was a pretty bad accident recently, and…" He shrugged. "Well, I have some things I need to do."

Vivianne's eyes had fallen to Ed's wrist, and Ed realized self-consciously that his sleeve had risen above his glove. He tugged it down, but Vivianne had already looked back up.

"I see," Vivianne said quietly. She forced a smile. "Well, you could certainly do worse. Where are you two from?"

"Resembool, not far from here," Alphonse provided, voice bright.

Vivianne, slightly startled, laughed. "Wow! You certainly weren't joking when you said you'd just started. Does that make this your first day?"

Ed nodded. "Yeah. We've been preparing for a while, but this is our first day."

Vivianne smiled and shook her head. "Well, now, I can't say no to that. It's already pretty late. Why don't you stay for dinner?"

Ed started. "Are you sure?"

"Of course," Vivianne assured him. "A trainer's first night is special."

Ed grinned. "Then thanks. We'd love to."

* * *

><p>After dinner, which Ed loved, Vivianne eyed them thoughtfully. "You know, by now it's really late," she said slowly.<p>

Ed looked outside and nodded ruefully. "Yeah. I guess we won't be getting any farther tonight, huh, Riolu, Al?"

Riolu huffed and shook his head. Al shrugged.

"There's always tomorrow, brother."

Ed stood up and smiled at Vivianne. "Thanks for giving us dinner, Vivianne, but we should probably go find somewhere to set up camp."

Vivianne's eyes widened. "I couldn't have you do that!" She smiled. "It's so late already, you must stay the night."

Ed looked slightly uncertain, but he smiled. "If you're sure…" he allowed. "Thanks a lot."

"It's the least I can do," Vivianne smiled, looking at Annie.

* * *

><p><strong>Um. I, ah. Didn't realize how far ahead I'd gotten. *flush* Sorry again. In further apology, expect another update tomorrow. But now I need to go study. For finals. Ergh. Thanks for reading and please review! *goes off muttering* <strong>


	5. A Little MORE Trouble

**A/N: Ah! I'd nearly forgotten. The promised extra chapter. Here you go!**

**Thank you to no one for reviewing! I didn't give anyone any time, it seems. Except for, you know, a day.**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Hoenn Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

* * *

><p>"I'm still not sure I've thanked you enough," Vivianne admitted, standing just outside her door while Annie hugged each of the boys tightly.<p>

Ed smiled at her awkwardly and laughed. "Don't worry, ma'am, really. Anyone would have done it."

Vivianne smiled fondly. "Perhaps," she allowed. "But they didn't. You did." She brightened. "Oh, I know! I'll be right back."

She turned and ducked into the house. Riolu tilted his head curiously, and Ed and Al stared after her in puzzlement.

Annie's eyes, though, widened. "Ooh!" she breathed, bouncing excitedly. "Ooh, I know!" She turned and beamed up at Ed. "You're really gonna like this, Ed, promise!"

Ed tilted his head at her curiously. "Like what?" he frowned.

Annie, bursting with excitement though she was, didn't get a chance to answer – Vivianne returned, and in her arms, she cradled a large, brown pokemon egg.

Ed's eyes widened and Al gasped. Ed held his hands up defensively. "Uh, no, I really can't take that-" He'd feel unbearably guilty.

"Don't you like it?" Annie asked, eyes round and upset. Ed winced.

"Oh, please do," Vivianne pleaded. "You'd be doing me a favor, really. One of my Eevees had an egg with a wild pokemon, but clients are so particular about having pure Eevees, though I can't imagine why. Please?"

"Uh…" Ed stared at it uncertainly. Then he looked at her again, gold eyes wary. Finally, he smiled. "Alright. If you're sure."

"I'm certain," Vivianne assured him, holding it out with a grateful smile.

Ed took it in careful hands, praying that his automail wouldn't do any harm to it. He looked up at Al, who gave him a warm look, and then back down to the egg. Then he cradled it carefully in his arms and smiled at Vivianne. "Thanks."

"It was nothing," Vivianne claimed. She smiled at Annie. "Say goodbye, Annie."

Annie waved at them, smiling. "Goodbye, Ed! Goodbye, Al! Goodbye, Riolu!"

All three of them waved back, and then they turned and went on their way.

At some point during the walk, Al let all of his pokemon out, and Ed followed suit.

That left Eevee striding confidently practically under Al's feet, somehow managing not to get in the way. Plusle sat on Al's shoulder, and Togepi cuddling in the crook of his arm. Minun sat on one of Ed's shoulders, Riolu strode beside him, and the egg sat carefully cradled in his arms.

"We'll have to get a carrier for that," Al commented to Ed, looking at the egg. Eevee crooned in agreement, brown eyes intent on the Eevee egg. Ed had to chuckle. Soon she'd have a friend.

"Yeah," Ed agreed. "We can probably find one in East City." He frowned. "I don't know much about pokemon eggs."

"I do!" Al said eagerly. Ed smiled up at his little brother. Of course he did; he wanted to be a breeder. "The books say that you need to keep them warm, and they'll hatch when they're ready. And then you can't put them in a pokeball for six weeks, and can't start training them for eight."

Ed nodded thoughtfully. "Alright." He looked at the egg uncertainly. "You sure you don't want it, Al?"

Al laughed. "Don't be silly, brother. It's yours."

Ed chuckled ruefully. "Yeah…"

Riolu huffed up at Ed, smiling, and Ed shrugged.

"Minu," Minun said proudly.

"Plusle," Plusle agreed happily. "Plus plus lusle!"

"Miiii nun!" Minun chirped

"Togepi?" Togepi squirmed out of Al's grip and hopped fearlessly over to Ed, who freaked out as the little guy nearly fell off. "Toge togeprrri?" Togepi was gazing curiously at the egg.

"It's a pokemon egg, Togepi," Al explained gently. "Like yours, but it hasn't hatched yet. When it does, it'll be a little Eevee."

"Togeprrrri," cooed Togepi, awestruck eyes on the large egg. "Toge togeprrri!"

Al laughed. "You'll be great friends," he said with certainty.

Ed laughed, too, smiling up at his little brother. The smile faded as he watched Plusle snuggle up to cold metal, Al not even noticing until he looked.

Abruptly, Ed sped up. "C'mon, the faster we are, the sooner we can get to East City!" he said confidently, looking over his shoulder.

Al sighed. "I knew his patience couldn't last for long," he muttered, catching up.

* * *

><p>"Alright, Riolu," Ed said confidently, striding forward. "You'll be working on Quick Attack some more. I want you to be able to attack a tree from the one next to it. Let me know when you can smash the bark in."<p>

Riolu huffed and nodded, darting over to a tree and climbing up. As Ed watched, Riolu focused on the other tree and sprang at it, attempting to give it a strong enough Quick Attack to dent it.

Ed looked down at Minun and smiled. "I'll be working with you again, Minun. Your Tackle's a lot better now, so we'll be working on your electricity."

Minun's ears sparked and she gave him a worried look. He waved his hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about it, Minun. I'm used to it from Teacher's Luxray – he shocked me all the time. Alright, Spark."

Minun didn't hesitate, charging up a strong Spark and releasing it straight at him. He cringed – it hurt more than he'd expected, even accounting for his automail.

When it stopped, he paused for a moment, resisting the urge to rub his shoulder port. "Not bad," he told Minun with a grin. "Again, stronger."

Minun's eyes narrowed. "Min, min, min, min… Min!" She shocked him hard and he flinched, eyes closing for a short moment. When he opened them again, Minun looked worried.

"Again," he panted out. Ow. Metal and electricity really didn't mix.

Minun looked reluctant, but she obeyed. "Min min min… Min!"

For the briefest moment, Ed blacked out. When he came to, both his pokemon were leaning over him, worried, and Al was fretting just above them, soulfire eyes wide.

"I'm fine," Ed rasped, pushing himself up. "That… that was good, Minun."

"Minu," Minun said reluctantly.

"You are not fine!" Al said fiercely, Plusle peeking concernedly over his shoulder. "No more of that, brother! You're hurting yourself!"

Ed winced as he stood up, gingerly putting weight on his automail leg. "Maybe you have a point," he conceded reluctantly. Riolu huffed up at him, frowning. "Yeah, yeah," Ed sighed, smiling reluctantly. "Okay, so enough of that. Riolu, do you mind sparring with Minun a little? Let her use her electricity."

Riolu, still looking at him worriedly, nodded quickly. Then, deciding Ed was good enough, he backed up a little and looked at Minun.

Minun looked less convinced, but she, too, backed up, and growled a challenge at Riolu.

Riolu hissed and darted forward, moving fast – working on Quick Attack like Ed had asked him to before, Ed noted. Ed watched as Minun aimed shock after shock at him, undeterred by her misses, frowning all the while.

"It's not a weakness, brother," Al told him, knowing what he was thinking without even needing to ask. "It's like hitting a grass type with a fire type move. You can't help it."

Ed sighed. "Yeah, I guess," he said reluctantly. "But I'll have to work on that. Minun's not even battle-trained yet and she took me down in three shots."

"You're getting those boots, right?" Al asked encouragingly. "Those'll do fine, Ed."

"Yeah…" Ed still looked doubtful. Then he looked up at Al and smiled halfheartedly. "One more thing for the list, right, Al? What's it up to now?"

"Rubber-soled boots, an egg carrier, potions, and food for the next part of the journey," Al provided helpfully.

Ed nodded to himself. "Yeah, that sounds about right." He looked up at Plusle and smiled. "Sound right to you?"

Plusle chirped and nodded in agreement. Ed grinned.

"That's alright, then."

Their first night outside, the sky was clear and the stars were shining. Ed took the opportunity to skip the makeshift tent entirely and laid on his back, hands beneath his head, staring up at the stars.

"That's one of the things I'll have to buy," he said ruefully. "A sleeping bag and a tent. Guess I'll need a compression cube too, huh, Al?"

"Yeah," Al said softly, head tilted back to look at the night sky. "Go to sleep, brother. I'll make a list of what we'll need, okay?"

"Yeah," Ed echoed quietly, closing his eyes. Riolu, curled up against his side, crooned and closed his, too.

* * *

><p><strong>So there! Another chapter. Next'll be in a while. By the way, if anyone's interested, I've got a new pure Pokemon fanfic out now, been working on the idea for a while. It's a variation of Pokeraised!Ash, which is a personal favorite of mine. It's called Notes in a Melody and only the first chapter is out, but the next two (the rest of it, in other words) is finished, as is the first two chapters of the next part in the series and the plans for the last part. Thanks for reading and please review!<strong>


	6. Seel of Approval

**A/N: Ahaha. So I'm still way ahead... *sheepish* Whatever. I'll try to remember to update this, but I missed another story's scheduled update and it made me feel guilty to update this one instead... which is stupid, I know. *sigh* Sorry! But I'll try to do better. I do have some leeway with this story, after all.**

**Thank you to tylerxc626, MissMoe, and guest for reviewing!**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Hoenn Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

* * *

><p>When he opened his eyes again, the sun was just in the sky and he could hear pidgeys and taillows chirping cheerfully. He sat up, yawning, and Riolu opened his eyes to look at him.<p>

Al looked up and spotted him. "Oh, brother! You're up!"

Ed rubbed the back of his head and nodded. "Yeah." He made to stretch and felt his arm creak lightly. "Oh. Crap."

Al chuckled ruefully. "Yeah, I realized that, too. It's on the list."

Ed nodded absently and stood up, looking toward where East City was supposed to be. "Guess we can't waste any more time, huh, Al? We'll need to reach the city in the next few days if we don't want me to start having trouble moving."

Al nodded. "But that shouldn't be hard. We're passing the river today, and we might want to train Plusle and Minun there, but otherwise I don't think there's anything of interest on the way."

Ed grinned. "Great." He looked at Riolu. "You ready?"

Riolu grinned at him, huffed, and nodded, hopping to his feet. Ed stretched again and then started walked, leading the way to East City.

They hadn't been walking for half an hour before they reached the river Al had mentioned. Al was surprised; he hadn't thought they'd gotten that far already.

"Hey, Al, do you think I should get a water pokémon?" Ed wondered, frowning.

"It might not be a bad idea, brother," Al replied. "But let's wait for a bit, alright?"

Ed nodded absently and reached for Minun's pokéball, releasing her. She turned around for a minute before tilting her head up at him. "Minu?"

Ed grinned at her with warm familiarity. "You up for training?" he asked the little pokémon. Minun brightened and nodded; she'd taken to battling better than Ed had expected, which relieved him of a few worries.

Ed bent down and picked up a few stones. "We're not working on power today. We're working on accuracy," he explained, dropping them into his coat's deep pockets. "I'm gonna throw these into the air, and you'll scorch them without moving."

"Min!" Minun nodded seriously and backed up a few steps, little limbs braced for the newest training session.

Ed weighed a stone in his hand for a moment before tossing it into the air. Minun aimed a Spark at it, missing it entirely. Ed pretended not to notice and threw another, which Minun hit, charring it.

Cold water soaked Ed's back and he yelped, dropping the stone he'd just taken out of his pocket.

"Min?" Minun questioned, peeking past Ed while Al laughed.

"I think it wants to play with you," he said, delighted.

Ed frowned and turned around. A Seel waved its tail and grinned at him, showing sharp teeth but not looking menacing in the least.

"You wanna play?" Ed challenged, smirking right back. He glanced at Riolu, who grinned as well and stepped forward, anticipatory growl rumbling in his chest.

"Seeeel!" Seel crooned, flipping in the water and waving its tail again. Another spray of water, still playful, soaked Ed, and he shook himself, scowling at it.

"You were thinking about getting a water pokémon," Al said thoughtfully, taking a few wary steps back from the water. Plusle, on his shoulder, tilted her head.

"Pluuu," she agreed.

"Dew! Dew gong!"

A Dewgong emerged from the water, headbutting Seel. Seel protested this with a swat of its tail and barked. Dewgong looked at Ed and barked, too.

Ed shrugged, fingering an empty pokéball. "Hey, it's their choice," he said evenly, throwing the pokéball and catching it easily.

"Seeeel!" complained Seel. It hit the Dewgong with its tail again.

Dewgong looked hesitant, but it backed off, puffing reluctantly. Seel and Ed both grinned.

The river, Ed could tell, wasn't deep enough to drown in. That assured, he didn't hesitate before dropping his pack and leaping in, making Al protest at the splash.

"Brother!"

"Sorry, Al!" Ed called over his shoulder, stuffing the pokéball into his more easily-accessed pocket.

Seel's expression had changed, focusing, though it still grinned. It turned its back and waved its tail tauntingly, smirking at Ed.

Ed grinned. "Oh, you're getting it now!" he called to it. "Riolu, Quick Attack, just like you've been practicing!"

"Huh!"

Riolu hurled itself from the bank and to the Seel, slamming into it hard. Seel cried out, but Ed still didn't hesitate to lunge forward and grab its tail in one automail hand, hauling it up and over.

"Batter's up!" he called to Riolu, smirking. Riolu smirked and nodded and darted after Seel, and a good old-fashioned Tackle brought it to shore.

Seel, now stranded, flopped a little before it managed to flip onto its front, but out of the water, it had lost its speed advantage, and Ed pulled himself out and called, "Quick Attack, one more time!"

Riolu sped toward Seel and crashed into it full-tilt, and Seel whimpered from where it landed ten feet away. Ed grinned.

"Pokéball, go!"

The pokéball came out of his pocket and he threw it at the Seel. It hit, shook once, twice, three, four times, and then binged.

Ed paused, and then one, two, three moments passed before a grin broke across his face and he punched the air triumphantly. "Got it!" He looked at Al and grinned. "Al, I got it!"

"Yes, you did," Al agreed, amused. Plusle chortled, climbing onto his head and clinging to the spike, legs dangling almost to Al's eyes.

Ed strode over to the ball and bent down, picking it up. He turned around and cocked his head at Dewgong, who 'gong'ed mournfully. Ed's grin faded into something more tired, and he sighed and opened the pokéball.

Seel manifested in the water and swam in a circle before looking at Ed, grinning, and clapping its fins. "Seel! Seel!"

"Deww…" Dewgong sighed, swimming over and nuzzling Seel worriedly.

Ed watched for a few moments before Al said pointedly, "Ed," and he sighed and strode back to the river, slipping in and wading over to them.

"Hey," he said quietly to the Dewgong, golden eyes even. He crouched a little, bringing the water almost to chin level. "I'll take care of Seel, alright? We'll be battling, but he wants that." He was pretty confident in his guess, anyway. "Don't worry."

He firmly squashed the idea of what he was planning on doing out of his mind.

Dewgong looked up at him, then nodded, nuzzled Seel one last time, and turned to swim down the river.

Ed grinned and looked down at Seel. "You must be pretty young, huh," he mused. Seel headbutted his leg indignantly. Ed laughed. "Don't worry about it, that's good. Lots of room for improvement, yeah?"

Seel yelped in agreement, eyes sparkling.

Ed grinned again, recalled him, and turned to Al, chest deep in the water. "That's three," he said with cheer he didn't feel.

"Yeah," Al confirmed, trying his best to sound pleased as well. "That's three."

* * *

><p><strong>And there you go! By the way, just because he has the three required pokemon doesn't mean he's got all the one's he's gonna have. While not everyone will have a full team of six - in fact, Ed's the only one besides Grand, who doesn't matter - Ed will. Thanks for reading and please review!<strong>


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